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August 31, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR JO ELLEN HINCK
IN MO
I did negotiate when I was hired for my first job at a salary
higher than
initially offered. One of the most important tools you can
have in this
situation is knowledge. Do some research and see what salaries
are with
the education and experience you have (I found this info searching
the
web). One thing I immediately noticed was the gender bias
in pay in the
private industry. Women's salaries were several thousands
less than men's
salaries - but don't let that discourage you. The company
I was applying
at offered me several thousand less than the average salary
for that
position with my experience and education. I told the employer
these
circumstances and they counter offered a higher salary. One
thing is for
sure - it doesn't hurt to ask - they won't give you more money
if you
don't ask for it!
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A: FROM MENTOR JOAN LUSK IN
RI
I've never really negotiated... my first job as an Assistant
Professor, I took what was offered and figured that I could
just
barely begin to set up a lab with the start-up funds. Soon
afterward, a brash friend of a friend asked my starting salary,
and
before I figured out exactly how I wanted to reply he added,
"It
shouldn't be a penny less than $11,000!" And $11,000
was precisely
the amount. This was 1972.
When I made a lateral move in 1988 into the university administration
I did negotiate a 10% raise, arguing that I was going to be
working a
lot harder. That turned out to be true. Now that I'm moving
back
into the faculty I lost some pay, going from a nominal 10-month
appointment to 9 month - though I've always worked more than
these
nominal amounts.
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A: FROM MENTOR AIMEE WILLOZ
IN MN
I didn't negotiate a higher salary for my first job. I'm not
sure if I
would have gotten a higher salary if I had. I do know that
I had a higher
starting salary than some of my co-workers who started at
the same time,
because I had a Master's degree. I've switched companies a
few times, and
that has made a big difference in my income. Looking back,
I didn't feel
comfortable negotiating right out of school, but I probably
could have
negotiated at some later job changes if I'd wanted to. I've
felt
comfortable with my salary all along - from what I know, it's
commensurate
with my male co-worker's salaries.
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